Shhh ... Stéphane Dion at work

Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion spent last week quietly — very quietly — meeting leaders in the Middle East and North Africa.

According to a statement from his grandly renamed Global Affairs Canada, the trip offered “significant opportunities to address pressi ng concerns, i ncluding regional and international security, stability in an increasingly volatile region, and how pluralism and respect for human rights are an integral part of the solution to these challenges.”

In Tunisia, he sought to “reiterate Canada’s support for Tunisia’s pluralistic democracy.” In Egypt, where pluralistic democracy ended when Gen. Abdel Fattah elSisi ousted the previous government, the agenda focused on “economic security and political developments.”

Between those meetings, Dion was invited to a gathering of the Gulf Cooperation Council ( GCC) in Jidda, just west of Mecca.

The council comprises Saudi Arabia and five other Persian Gulf states t hat bear relatively friendly relations with the West, though none is particularly keen on pluralistic democracy. An official statement attested that “ministers agreed with Canadian Foreign Minister Stéphane Dion on the need to ‘dry up’ sources of finance for extremists.”

Since Dion became foreign minister, his view on the proper practice of international diplomacy has become clear. Canada will come and go quietly enough, taking its seat at international gatherings where it is accorded a polite reception and its proper turn at the microphone. Dion is very skilled at the sort of balancing act required to make mildly critical statements without offending anyone present, couching Ottawa’s positions in language that takes the edge off any assertions that might prompt a fellow diplomat to take umbrage. He calls this “responsible conviction,” a phrase that would fit nicely into any diplomatic lexicon without threat of rancour.

During his t rip, Dion was granted an audience with Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Crown Prince Moham- med bin Salman. Canada’s $ 150 billion arms sale to the Saudis has caused the young Liberal government much discomfort. Ottawa has every intention of going through with the deal, despite the Saudis’ rotten human rights record, but Dion wanted to use the opportunity to respectfully criticize that record and seek assurances the Saudis won’t turn the Canadian weapons against fellow Saudis. That would be a big embarrassment for the Liberals and might cause Dion to issue a strong statement of displeasure.

Dion’s faith in big gatherings and diplomatic niceties is a sharp change from the Conservatives’ approach. Canada’s relations with Russia soured under Stephen Harper’s frequent criticisms and the imposition of sanctions. Dion has been trying to “repair” those relations. His most candid effort was to backtrack on Liberal support for the Magnitsky law, named after a Russian lawyer who was tortured and murdered after uncovering a mammoth corruption scheme. The Magnitsky law imposes visa bans and asset freezes on Russian officials involved in human rights violations. The Liberals endorsed it in opposition but, once in office, Dion abandoned the pledge, arguing it would impede efforts to mend ties with Moscow.

Bill Browder, a colleague of Sergei Magnitsky, dismissed Dion’s position with open contempt. “He doesn’t care about the morality of the issue, he doesn’t care whether it’s good for Canada … he just doesn’t want to rock the boat,” he told the CBC.

Browder is a lone voice, operating outside the comfortable environs of international diplomatic gatherings. Lone voices don’t count for much in the United Nations, or the GCC, or the other alphabet soup of agencies that fill up so much time for foreign ministers and diplomats. Hillary Clinton and her successor John Kerry can command seats in any gathering they please, and have sought to use them to plead for solutions in Libya, Syria, Ukraine, Yemen and other hot spots. Unfortunately, none has yielded to their stern statements or expressions of concern.

That doesn’t mean diplomats won’t be willing to gather for yet another meeting and strongly- worded declaration. If so, they can count on Stéphane Dion to be in his seat, soberly assessing the situation and awaiting his turn at the microphone.

CANADA WILL COME AND GO QUIETLY ENOUGH.